29th Galway Film Fleadh 11th – 16th July 2017

Small Talk (Ri Chang Dui Hua)

Anu is a tomboy. She was married off at a young age – as was customary in Taiwan in the 1970s – and had two children. Anu divorced her violent husband and raised her daughters alone. Since then, her only romantic relationships have been with women who, like her, earn a living as professional mourners at funerals.

In a series of long shots, the two women discuss loneliness, trust and abuse. Most of these discussions end in painful silence. Shifting focus in order to plumb the depths of their relationship, Hui-chen attempts to understand her mother’s life by talking to her mother’s siblings and ex-lovers. In doing so, she paints a picture of the changing lives and conditions for three generations of women in Taiwan.

Winner: Teddy Award for Best Documentary, Berlin International Film Festival